Celebrating Accomplishments

The end of the year for the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse program came this past Saturday, and concluded with a celebration commemorating all of the student accomplishments during the year. The Restoration Leaders moved friends and family members through different stations, each focusing on skills they learned throughout the year and how they, as community members, can become more aware of their natural surroundings. The Greenhouse interns presented their research projects, ranging from park use and public safety, benefits of dyeing fibers with native plants, portrayal of nature as seen in animated films, germination rates of refrigerated vs. non refrigerated California black walnuts, and more! It was very encouraging to see the level of interest by the parents and even the other students in attendance. Once all of the presentations were finished, friends and family were invited into the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook Visitor Center to see the final intern posters. It was an incredibly uplifting event. Having worked with the students for a few months, it was heartwarming to see how much growth they showed in that short time, not only in their knowledge of environmental topics but as a team and as individuals.

This week I was also able to conduct another walk-through at the Venice Beach Least Tern Colony. The number of terns has been mostly consistent even with the different stresses the birds have on them, so we’re staying hopeful about a successful nesting season. We’ve been finding scrapes so that is definitely a great sign, but you never really know when it comes to wild animals. Hopefully in the coming weeks I’ll be able to talk about nests and maybe even chicks!